The father of a one-year-old girl in Falmouth stabbed the family’s dog to death Sunday after the pit-bull terrier attacked the child, causing “major trauma” to her face, according to police.
Falmouth police responded to a 911 call to the family’s home on Brick Kiln Road at 8:54 a.m. for a report that the dog had bit the child, police said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.
The father, who was unable to separate the pit bull from the girl, first retrieved a pistol to shoot the animal, but the gun was not loaded.
He then grabbed a knife “and began stabbing the animal in order to protect the child,” fatally wounding the dog, the statement said.
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The girl was taken to Falmouth Hospital before being flown by helicopter to a Boston-area hospital for treatment, police said.
There was no information available about her condition Sunday afternoon.
Police believe the attack was not provoked. The family has owned the dog for five years and has no history of aggression, the statement said.
Lucas Phillips can be reached at lucas.phillips@globe.com.